With the increasing complexity of small arms weapons systems and the increasing complexity of urban warfare, the importance of knowing the ammunition count within a weapon's ammunition magazine becomes more relevant. Death or serious bodily injury may result if an operator of a weapon with a magazine runs out of ammunition in the duration of a small arms altercation. Current magazines with full metal casings do not allow for a direct view into the ammunition storage inside a magazine, while plastic magazines allow a limited view at the ammunition source, but not beyond where the magazine goes into the weapon and is covered by the magazine well of the weapon. In many situations, knowing when a magazine is at its last five to ten rounds is more crucial than knowing when it has lost its first five to ten rounds, as usually indicated to a limited degree by most clear magazines, in the decision process for tactical magazine replacements.
Several strategies have been developed to aid the decision to change magazines in a weapon. One of the more popular is to add tracer ammunition at a predetermined count of ammunition. However, the disadvantage of this method is that in warfare, tracer ammunition can potentially create fires in buildings. Also, besides warning the operator of the weapon of the low ammunition count, tracers can likewise warn the operator's adversaries of the operator's position in the battlefield, which could be catastrophic for the operator. Furthermore, the use of tracer ammunition does not communicate the actual ammunition count to the operator, but just a warning of a low count of it.
Another method devised to aid with the magazine replacement decision process is keeping mental track of a magazine's remaining ammunition. By keeping a count, even if not with complete accuracy, an approximation of the count will provide enough information for the magazine change decision process. However, with the intensity and high stressfulness of small arms altercation situations, this becomes an impractical practice, as even an operator's momentary loss of focus could lead to the loss of count. Likewise, if the magazine that the operator is using does not contain the initial amount of ammunition that he or she believes it initially does, the basis for which the magazine replacement would occur will be faulty.
One of the more popular methods for deciding a magazine change is for an operator to estimate the amount of ammunition he or she has based on the weight of his or her weapon with ammunition. To a limited extent, this may be a useful approximation, however with the incorporation of different add-ons onto the operator's weapon, such as night sights, scopes and other accessories, the operator's judgment of the count can be hindered, increasing the liabilities associated with this method.
Understanding some of the limitations to the current systems and methods for keeping track of unspent ammunition, one embodiment of the present invention is devised to eliminate the risks caused from the overestimation of one's ammunition count, while avoiding the waste of ammunition caused by the premature replacement of magazines due to underestimation. By doing so, the aims of one embodiment of the present invention include, but are not limited to making the use of the ammunition within a given as efficient as possible with little compromise to the magazine's weight or profile, by aiding an operator in his or her decision process for changing magazines in high stress situations.